Children were inside St. Mary Magdalen in Abbeville, Louisiana, waiting to take their first Holy Communion, the church said.

Churchgoers thwarted a teenager armed with a rifle from entering a Louisiana church full of children Saturday in a service that was being livestreamed, authorities said.

Police were called to St. Mary Magdalen Church in Abbeville, 20 miles south of Lafayette, at 10:35 a.m. when the 16-year-old suspect tried to get in via the back door.

Around 60 children were inside the Catholic church at the time waiting to take their first Holy Communion, the church said.

The suspect was arrested and later charged with terrorizing the church and two counts of possession of a firearm by a juvenile. Witnesses told KADN of Lafayette that he was dressed all in black and armed with the rifle.

    • @dhork
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      -55 months ago

      Or, just give Sister Margaret a yardstick and tell her she’s allowed to thwap that kid, just like old times

      • @[email protected]
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        345 months ago

        Given the behavioral research we’ve had in the last half a century, I’m pretty sure that will just make things worse.

        The real non-sarcastic solution is, of course, gun control… this is a uniquely American problem.

        • @Plague_Doctor
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          105 months ago

          Doesn’t help mental healthcare is paywalled.